


A Newfound Malice - Super Mario Children

by Magaritas



Series: The Discoveries Trilogy [2]
Category: Super Mario & Related Fandoms
Genre: Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-15
Updated: 2019-01-03
Packaged: 2019-08-02 09:00:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 9,188
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16302122
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Magaritas/pseuds/Magaritas
Summary: The royals of the Mushroom Kingdom had faced many troubles in the past, but after the revival of the lost parents of Queen Peach, the citizens began to live in harmony once again.Approximately sixteen years ago, the son of Bowser had mysteriously disappeared, and he had bonded with the kingdom in attempts to find him, but none had succeeded.Now, after an ominous letter was discovered within the rubble of the lost battles, many other strange occurrences had sparked the interest of the young Celestia, daughter of Rosalina and Waluigi, and Gabriel, son of King Mario and Queen Peach. Together, they are set on cracking the predicaments.Sequel to A Hidden Kindness, taking place three years after the epilogue.





	1. Prologue

_Dear Father,_

_After we had escaped from the jail cell, I still felt like the sentences we were given hadn't done any correcting, and you were still just as evil as you were before. You had created heinous schemes to destroy the kingdom to make it yours, but what other object did you have? Here I am, mourning the loss of my own humanity because you still have yet to give me any sort of attention or recognition, and I still haven't moved anywhere in your priority list._

_Why pay attention to your only biological son when you can attempt to overtake another kingdom? It's as if all your failures have taught you nothing on how to change your morals or your strategies. Steal a princess, wait for a plumber. Does it get any more complicated than that? I'm afraid not._

_After you left with Wario and Ashley for your whole plan, I at least had hope it would go somewhere, and you would finally have time for being a father to me. You know, telling me stories on your past, playing sports, spending quality time together like we should have already. You even made a plan to give Peach those hallucinations the night before coronation to even prevent it from happening, I was so proud to see you using your resources to your advantage for once! Obviously, it didn't prove effective, only making me lose the fabrications of hope within my wishful mind._

_It may take months, maybe even years, to prove myself to you, so I will run away and begin my own dwelling - one in which I won't have to spend each day wondering if my own father would acknowledge me this time. Maybe I'll just get lost. I'm already in the process of losing myself, losing my mind, but what difference will this make? Maybe this will show you how much I am worth, how much you need me, how much you miss me._

_Blame it on my growing insanity, or blame it on your lack of parenting skills, or blame it on Clawdia leaving you to rust, but I am running away whether you like it or not, and I will prove myself to you one way or another. I have people on the inside, and you haven't seen the last of me, my dear, dear father._

_What are these intentions based upon? Golly, I don't even know! Is it because I'm yearning for love, or because I'm burning with hatred? It's getting more and more difficult to tell as time passes, as each morn morphs to dusk, as each dawn morphs to eve, and I'm beginning to understand how driven by your evil schemes you have been throughout my whole life, and I'm about to utilize these skills for myself to become a separate mastermind._

_You haven't seen the last of me._

_Signed,_  
_Bowser Junior._

_Tango Hotel Echo_  
_November Echo Whiskey_  
_Sierra Hotel Alpha Lima Lima_  
_Foxtrot Uniform Echo Lima_  
_Tango Hotel Echo_  
_Alpha Golf Echo Delta_


	2. Chapter 2

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"Uhh, Gabriel, get over here, quick!" Celestia yelped as she held the salvaged letter within her trembling hands.

She and the prince had been searching through the legendary forest that was said to grow after the tremendous battle that took place before their birth. The kids were known for their instinct to explore and discover - they'd beg to visit this very forest every day until they found something worth while, and this was their moment.

"What is it?" Gabriel came close behind her and looked over her shoulder at the antiquated envelope and message. "Woah, that's insane." He took a hold of it to get a closer look and read it. "Why are there random words that are all on the bottom?"

"I don't know, but this has to mean something, right? We never find anything spicy here and now we have something to show our parents! Better yet, this can be a clue to finding Bowser Junior! Let's go show the rents!" Celestia began marching off but Gabriel grabbed her arm before she could go much further.

"Let's take a break first, you know how my mom is during the day with Baby Mario and the pregnancy." Gabriel reasoned with the girl, trying to get some calm alone time with her for once. Although they would always be in the forest exploring together, he always felt as if she focused more on trying to discover something than him. He usually let it slide, admiring her persistence, but his greediness began seeping through him as he looked at her more and more.

"Why do you still call him Baby Mario? He's a toddler now."

"It's funny! I also love how my mom gets pissed at it too, she lost that bet with Mario and all."

"Hmph, I didn't really think he'd actually name his second born child after him." The young girl sat against a tree and giggled. "Maybe now Peach will have baby Blossom. She's been pregnant for, say, seven or eight months now?"

"I haven't kept track, but I always thought it would be cool to have a little sister or two."

"If she does end up having twins, which is more probable considering she's rather older, what would she name the other one?"

"Not sure. She said I could choose if that happens, and I don't know what I would do in all honesty. Got any ideas?"

"Hmmm, Gabriel, Mario, Blossom... How about Summer?"

"Summer? How'd you think that up?" Gabriel scooted next to Celestia and leaned against the same tree with her, enjoying the engagement in the conversation they finally had.

"A peach is a fruit, and a daisy is a flower, so is a lotus. All of them blossom from a seed just in time for the summer?" Gabriel looked at her in awe, trying to understand her thought processes. "I'm so sorry, that's weird, uh, I should think of something el-"

"It's perfect..." Gabriel stopped her before she could say anything else. "Just like yo-"

"The letter! We need to return it to Bowser and the others, they may not have even ever read it! I found it sealed!" Celestia sprung up and held out a hand for Gabriel to get up with her. "We should get going back to the castle anyways, it's getting late."

Gabriel internally facedesked.

For heaven sakes! All he wanted was to have some quality time with the girl of his dreams, but she would always get too caught up with her studies, her lessons, and her discoveries. All he wanted was for her to loosen up and think about herself for once, not her duties. She should be living her life - more preferably with him.

"I have a better idea." Gabriel took a hold of her wrist, gently yet assertively, and began pulling her uphill until they reached a ledge within the mountain. It was clear of trees and had a perfect sight of the sunset. He had ignored her pleas on the way up, and was satisfied when he sat down and patted the grass next to her. Grunting, she gave in and sat, arms crossed and letter in hand.

"Your parents are gonna kill us, Gabe." Celestia whined, but the teenage prince only blushed at the nickname. "Dinner's gonna get cold, I'm going to get the 'just because your parents are in space doesn't mean you can rebel' talk, and then... What are you doing Gabriel Toadstool?" She inquired as his gloved hand reached for her chin and her head was moved towards the source of natural light - the sunset itself.

"That, m'lady, is the sunset from the finest view in the whole kingdom." Gabriel smirked, holding the second part of his remark behind; 'Second finest, behind you.' He knew if he said that, he'd get anything between a slap or an eye roll.

Ignoring the fact she was addressed as "m'lady," Celestia gave in to the sunset, nearly melting at the beauty that was so far, but felt so close and dear to her. After the sun sets, it reveals the stars, the cosmos, and the galaxies, and reminded her of nothing but her mother.

Gabriel, on the other hand, studied her face as a subtle grin bloomed upon it, the reddish twilight the sun had left behind complimenting the structures of her face. Her brown hair blew to the side as a breeze hit it, so sleek and smooth it left his unruly dirty blond locks to shame. Her eyes twinkled at each beam of sunlight was individually reaching it, as if the heavens were blessing each speck by speck. Sure, he had blue eyes as well, but not nearly as enchanting as the royal blue oceans that stole his attention every time he'd steal a glance at the young lady.

He's madly in love with this girl, and she can't even tell!

"Gabe? Gaaaaabe?" She poked his arm, snapping him back into reality. "Now we've really got to get back. It's probably around 21:00 hours now, let's move back."

"Right, okay." He murmured as he rose up and began walking down the hill and to the castle.

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"Where've you two been? It's super late!" Mario questioned, partially whispering as a sleeping Mario Jr. upon his shoulder.

"We found this in the forest, it could be of importance!" Celestia presented the letter and envelope to Mario, his jaw dropping as he read through it.

"Luigi, put Lotus and Junior to bed, we need to look through this." Mario spoke behind him to his brother, who had been feeding his own son with a bottle. While Peach was pregnant with her second son, Daisy was also expecting unknowingly, and gave birth a few months after Peach. Luigi decided to name the little boy Lotus; a flower just like his mother.

With the news of the child on the way, Daisy decided it were best if she and Luigi finally sealed the deal, and he became the official Prince of Sarasaland when they were married. However, he and Daisy enjoyed frequently visiting the Mushroom Kingdom - they never became King and Queen as Daisy's parents decided it were best if they maintained the responsibility.

Once the two toddlers were snoozing away, Mario and Luigi approached the kitchen bar side with the letter and examined it closely; meanwhile, Gabriel and Celestia were eating away at their cold dinner.

"What do you think it means?" Celestia inquired, her mouth half full.

"It means we have a mole, and we have trouble. Gabe, how are we supposed to tell this to your mother?" Mario sighed.

"Tell what to his mother?" A tired Peach strolled in to the kitchen and hugged Gabriel from behind, kissing the side of his forehead tenderly. Soon enough, she noticed the letter in Mario's hands and read it thoroughly as well. "Mother of toads, where did you get this?"

"The forest. I don't know how long it's been there but it seems he wrote it as a going away type of letter. That means it is almost sixteen years old!" Celestia explained. "I'm going to read up everything I have about code tonight. Bowser Junior was intelligent from what I've been told, and I won't miss a chance to decrypt this."

"Alright dear." Peach yawned and lazily patted the young girl's back. "Just don't stay up too late, Rosie and Waluigi shouldn't have any reasons to be worried whenever they get back from their voyage."

"Goodnight, Peach. You too, Mario and Luigi." The teen smiled.

"Goodnight Mother, Father, Uncle." Gabriel also bid his parents goodnight, and went off into the hallway with his and Celestia's bedrooms. 

Just as he was ready to tuck himself in bed to sleep, he heard a knock at his door. "Come in," he muttered.

Celestia emerged from the door and into the dimly lit room with a reading light and a thick book. "Is it alright if I study this in here? I heard noises in my room, you know how paranoid I can be in the dark."

"You're welcome here anytime." She smiled at his response and laid down on the foot of his bed - perpendicular from normal - and held her book above her as she read. "You're so much like Rosalina." Gabriel thought aloud.

"I get that alot. I look like dad but act like mom. I guess it's typical?"

"I guess so. I feel like I'm so mixed between my parents, it's really weird. Everything from my hair color to my sense of clothing style is an even combination. Genetics are weird."

"Indeed they are. I have a book about it in my room if you want to take a look though, it's super thorough and interesting!"

"Wow, there's no book you wouldn't have. Did you get some from your mother's library in the observatory?"

"Nope, it's off limits for me to take a book without specific permission. Something about me seeing too much according to dad, but it only makes me want to take it more, you know?"

"What do you mean, it?"

"There's this one large book with a star hidden on her top shelf. I've gotten a hold of it once only to be reprimanded by her shortly after. I never got to read into it but I really want to someday." At this point, Celestia yawned.

"Maybe we can look into it together one day. I'm definitely not as much of a bookworm as you are but reading is still really fun for me."

"Yeah, yeah." Her voice was less vocal but more yawning.

"You tired yet?"

Gabriel realized there were no more responses coming from the girl atop his bed. When he rose and got a closer look at her, she was in a quasi fetal position with her book to her chest, her body slowly rising and falling as gentle breaths streamed through her system.

Although he was quite masculine, Gabriel and Celestia were roughly the same height, and Gabriel would always have trouble carrying her for more than a couple seconds due to the way her weight was distributed. There was no way he'd be able to carry her back to her room, and he certainly wasn't going to disturb her internal peace. Thinking rather quickly, he adjusted the sheets he was on, and set pillows going vertically down the center of the king sized bed.

He moved the book to his dresser, then ever-so-carefully lifted the sleeping beauty, supporting her neck carefully as he placed her back to comfort, rolling the sheets back over her.

"Goodnight, gorgeous." His cheeks tinted red as he glided his finger across the side of her forehead and behind her ear, adjusting a lose lock of hair. He lowered his face to hers and brushed his lips against her cheek, pressing down softly against her porcelain skin slowly and carefully.

He moved to sleep on the other side of the pillow barrier he made, respecting her personal space and privacy as well.

Well, he could have slept in a guest room, but thought this option was so much better.

He drifted on to sleep, letting the blackness of the eternal abyss consume him moment by moment, enjoying the quiet that captivated him. The darkness to her was frightening, but to him it was comfort and gentleness brushing against his nose and ears as his body rolled into relaxation.

That is, until he was awakened by a bright light blasting through his window, and not the gentle kind that the sun would welcome the morning with. This was no good, and with the sound of a large fuse about to blow, he had to do something, and fast. There was no use in running away, and the escape routes were too far and intricate for him to effectively escape with...

He then realized the sleeping princess that was laying down not even a foot from him, and she hadn't moved an inch from where he left him. Her back was to the window, and she was a heavy sleeper. There was no way she could notice a potential bobomb nearly exploding, so Gabriel knew exactly what he should do in this instant.

He threw the pillows between them aside, pulled her against him and shielded her head with his hands, and braced for impact.

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	3. Chapter 3

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"Gabe? What the heck?" Celestia tried prying herself away from Gabriel, whose strong hold persisted in the late hour. "What am I doing here? Why are you doing this?" She questioned, still trying to get the sleeping boy off her.

"What?" His eyes shot open and he flinched suddenly, looking at his surroundings that were supposedly normal.

"Care to explain?" Celestia rolled her eyes and finally pushed the boy off of her.

"Oh my god, I'm so sorry, there was a bobomb about to explode I swear to god, I was protecting you from it!" He argued, internally screaming as he know he wasn't going to get out of this situation, also squirming to back away from the girl to assume her personal space.

"I don't see one, Gabriel. Nice try." She scoffed and sat up, fixing her hair in the darkness.

"You have to believe me, it wasn't a dream, it was so real in front of my eyes! You fell asleep on the foot of my bed sideways, so I made a pillow wall thing in the middle of the bed and laid you on one side and I was on the other! You think I'd sleep holding you like that? There was a bomb about to go off and I was trying to protect you!" He began sweating profusely and breathing heavily. "There has to be an explanation, I'd never lie to you."

"It's alright, I believe you." She exhaled and reached for the book, reading light, and letter on the dresser next to her, and looked through the script. "Look here," she scooted towards him, both their backs against the headboard of the bed. "There it is," she pointed towards a certain sentence. "It says 'You even made a plan to give Peach those hallucinations the night before coronation,' and then there it says ' I have people on the inside,' so maybe it was one of those hallucinations, and someone here knows what we're up to. We need to be really careful, they may have been trying to scare you away from it."

Gabriel did nothing other than giving her a tight hug and burying his face in the crook of her neck. "Thank you thank you thank you!"

"Uh, you're welcome?" She hesitantly put her arms around him too, patting his back a few times. Just as she was about to feel peaceful again, Celestia began hearing strange and indescribable noises that would spark her back to attention. They were the same noises that drew her to Gabriel's room in the first place.

The hallucinations.

Before she knew it, she let go of the boy and began hyperventillating. "Gabe, something's really up."

"What is it?" 

"The noises, they sound like crying and whimpering and they won't stop, the same noises I heard earlier, they're haunting my mind. Neither of us can sleep at this rate, or something else can happen, so what are we supposed to do?"

"Wait for morning to rise, I guess. We can't let them get to us, we need to realize it's not real even if it's troubling." 

"I can't even tell what time it is in this rate. It's all dark and blurry and terrible." Just as she said that, the familiar bright lights burst through the windows and the fuses were heard once again.

"Why are you doing this?" Gabriel yelled at the unseeable force. "You see that too, right Celestia?"

"Y-Yeah, now I see why you were so nervous about it earlier." She stood up after she saw Gabriel doing so, and they were both back to back in the middle of his large room, arms linked. "How does he even make these?"

"I don't know, how did Bowser make them to my mom in the first place? My mom never even told me these happened to her!" At this moment, the light was getting brighter, the sounds of whimpering and intensified wailing of children began to be heard, but it didn't end there.

Their worst fears began fabricating before their eyes, circling around them within the walls of Gabriel's room. It looked as if Mario and Peach were chasing after a small girl with blonde hair and green eyes running lifelessly in circles. Peach was no longer pregnant, but her face was tearstained - she longed so much to reach for that little girl in front of her, but never would. Mario was trying to stop Peach from running towards this girl, knowing that they would never attain the goal.

In mid air, there were swarms of ghosts and boos swimming around, giving out mischievous laughs as they raced each other on this imaginary plane.

In front of Gabriel was a fake Celestia, sitting on an imaginary field of grass, unsuspectedly picking off the petals of a rose and letting them fly away within the crowd of boos.

In front of Celestia was a fake Gabriel, sharpening his dagger on a rock with a stern look on his face.

The two teenagers were overwhelmed at the scene in front of them. So many fears portrayed in one frame in front of them, circling them, taunting them. Gabriel, in particular, was taking it much better than Celestia, who was on the verge of tears. Her breathing was terribly heavy and her knees were shaking to the point of giving out, she began screaming for it to stop, but her piercing shrieks were drowned out by the chaos surrounding them.

Also wanting the torture to end, Gabriel turned Celestia toward him, so they'd be face to face. "Look at me, look at me." He cooed to her, trying to calm her down. After few more moments of panic, her knees finally gave out and she fainted, the whole scene around them disappearing instantly as she lost the last bits of her consciousness.

"Is everything okay?" He heard from the door to his bedroom. It was Daisy, accompanied with his father, mother, and uncle. "And what happened to Celestia?" She noticed him struggling to hold her limp body up and laid her back on his bed.

"Why haven't you told us about the hallucinations before coronation day, Mother?" Gabriel ignored his Aunt's question and looked at the tired Queen.

"Hallucinations?" Mario asked, looking at Luigi for an answer, but receiving no confirmation. "Honey, what is he talking about?"

Peach sighed and looked downwards in a dejected manner. "The night before I became queen, I had seen my parents telling me how unworthy of the throne I was, that I should just give up. I started having a panic attack and Daisy comforted me, but I didn't really feel the need for anyone else to know. I thought I was going insane. The letter explained that it was Bowser's doing, I guess."

"How'd he do it? " Gabriel asked.

"Neither of us were sure, but we can probably ask him next time we see him." Daisy suggested. "Now, what was going on in here?" She lifted an eyebrow and placed her hands on her hips.

"The hallucinations, but to a way larger scale. Yesterday, we found a letter from Bowser Junior in the forest, and it mentioned something about him commending Bowser for giving Mother the hallucinations, and that he has eyes in the castle. Maybe now that we discovered the letter, he can move on with his plan, which involves scaring the living crap out of us teenagers." Gabriel gestured to Celestia. "We should also probably help her. It may be the only rest she's getting, but that's not healthy."

"Mother of Mushrooms, Waluigi and Rosalina are going to kill us!" Mario and Luigi rushed off to the first aid room for materials. Meanwhile, Gabriel tapped her cheek a few times, trying to get her to wake up.

"You really care about her, don't ya?" Peach patted her son's back.

"Mother... Not now." Gabriel shrugged her hand off.

"You can't blame me, Gabe, basically everyone knows you two are practically betrothed!" Peach commented.

"Betrothed? What does that even mean?" The adolescent gave up on trying to awaken his love, and gave full his attention to his mother and aunt.

"It means that you're set on marrying her when you get older. Like an arranged marriage, kind of. No, that sounds bad... Just getting married to her, and only her, when you're in your twenties like your mother was." Daisy nudged him.

"But she's clearly not interested! I hate to say it but it's not gonna happen." He crossed his arms.

"Have hope, kid. She'll come around." Daisy rubbed his shoulder. "I'm going to check on Mario and Luigi, they probably have no idea what they're doing."

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It was finally daytime, and Celestia - now past the trauma that had occurred the night before - was sitting with the letter and her code book at the lounge. "Gabriel, I got it!" She called for the boy, who had been in the kitchen preparing lunch.

"Make this fast, I don't want the shrimp to burn." He dashed behind the couch she was sitting on as she passed him the code book, flipped to a specific page. "'Phonetic Alphabetizing?' What is this referring to?"

"The random words on the bottom of the letter, they match these! And it could probably give us a clue to his plans, let me see..." She began writing down each letter as it corresponded to the words Bowser wrote.

'THE NEW SHALL FUEL THE AGED.'

"Have any ideas?" Celestia asked Gabriel.

"Hold that thought, the stir fry might burn!" Gabriel ran back to the kitchen to finish the meal and plated it, then served it on the table in the lounge. "I love when the adults leave for the park with the kids during the day, leaves me to test up my cooking skills!"

"I sure do enjoy your cooking though." Celestia cheekily laughed. "Now how about this phrase? It has to mean something."

"Actually, I've read a book with that title a while back, Toadsworth recommended it, and it was super entertaining. I recommend it!"

"Is there a plot that resembles Bowser Junior's motives?"

"Shoot..." Gabriel's mind wandered off as he thought back on the story and how it went. "Long story short, a group of teens were exploring the old man's cave to find out why he was so dark and glum, but found out about the monsters he had been trapping to collect their poison. Turns out the poison was collected so he could eventually rid the town of his enemies, but the kids' exploring tendencies are what pushed him to go further with his plan quicker, before they knew too much. He ended up just exterminating them too." 

"So basically, the title of the book is based upon how there were children trying to expose his secrets, so it motivated him to destroy what sparked their interest. It makes perfect sense. Bowser Junior wants to take out his father, and us connecting the dots is motivating him!" Celestia summarized.

"That guy is up to no good, we really need to get to the bottom of this, he might be planning on killing Bowser!" Gabriel worried about the outcomes. Sure, he wasn't very close with Bowser, but he would hate to lose an opportunity to spare someone's life.

"He probably wants us to butt out too, hence the hallucinations. What do you propose we do?"

"We need to talk to the source himself, Bowser. We can go to his castle after we finish lunch, too."

"Are you crazy? We never go there, he usually comes to us!"

"I'm very crazy, thank you for noticing. Join me once we finish the sir fry?"

"Fine."

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"By golly, I haven't seen you two since that reunion years ago! Come in, come in!" Bowser led them through his castle and to the general living space, sitting across from them in a dining table. "What brings you guys here?"

"This does." Celestia slid the letter over to Bowser, who gaped at the words inscribed across the paper. "We already cracked some of the mystery, but we don't think you're very safe. He is probably planning on targeting you, and taking us down with you."

"H-how did I never get this before? It has been sixteen years, I-I don't understand."

"We don't know, but we've been experiencing hallucinations lately, apparently you were responsible for giving those to Queen Peach one night." Celestia also indicated the line of the letter she had been referring to.

Bowser immediately knew what was happening. "There's only one person I know who can do hallucinations flawlessly in the Mushroom Kingdom."

"Who would that be?" Gabriel asked.

"Ashley."

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	4. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which tea is spilled, Gabriel gets angsty, and Celestia gets in the feels.

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"Ashley made those?" Gabriel inquired.

"It was Wario's idea, but she brought it to life to intimidate Peach before she got the crown, all part of some bigger picture I don't even remember." Bowser sighed and took a sip of the drink he had in hand.

"Do you know where she is now? She kind of went AWOL a year or so ago, I have no idea why." Celestia shifted in her place, beginning to feel uncomfortable with the mystery.

"I don't know, and I haven't seen any clues about it yet, either. Maybe you two can look into the forest for more information and the kids and I can search around here."

"Sounds good to me. You, Gabe?" Celestia asked.

"Yeah, that'll do. Thank you for the information, Bowser. We'll try our best to help you find your son, whether he's good or bad." Gabriel shook the Koopa King's hand.

"Please, stay safe. You two may be teenagers, but this is risky business for you younglings. I'll try to get someone back to you if there's any newfound information."

"Thanks again, and good luck!" Celestia waved and walked out of the grand castle with Gabriel. "So, we need to find aunt Ash, huh?"

"Seems like it. Do you think my parents would even be on board with us solving this?"

Celestia shrugged. "No clue, but they have so much on their plate already with the kid on the way, they probably don't want us causing more trouble than we already have. Last night was a mess."

"Then why don't we just not tell them?"

"And keep this whole thing a secret? I think the heck not, Gabe."

"Why do you always have to be a goodie two shoes?"

"Why do you always have to cause more disturbances?"

"Why do you always have to-" Gabriel paused his walking and looked around with his eyes wide open. "Did you hear that?"

"Hear what?" Celestia also looked around but heard nothing but the gentle breeze of the forest. Suddenly, she began hearing what sounded like an earthquake in the distance, but it was coming closer and closer. Soon enough, the two teenagers began feeling rumbling beneath their feet and trembled in fear.

"COME CELESTIA!" Gabriel yelped as he grabbed her hand and dashed towards the path to the castle. Behind them, pieces of earth were being ripped from the ground and forced into the sky by some unknown power. Inside, Celestia felt as if it were some type of illusion like before, but her instincts kicked in and she only ran away from it faster, fearing the possibility of it being reality.

After what felt like five minutes of a chase from this unknown entity, Gabriel and Celestia were nearing castle walls. All of a sudden, Celestia demanded Gabriel to step behind her as she swiftly took a wand out of her pocket and created a force field against the threat to shield them, and it disappeared soon after.

"What the hell was that?" Gabriel breathed heavily, doubling over in defeat of his lungs.

"Ugh, probably one of those illusions again! Why are they happening now of all times?" Celestia pouted.

"Because we have a mole, and they want us to stop. The letter was meant for Bowser to be threatened, not for us to defeat him."

"Wait, Gabe you're on to something..." Celestia began pacing around the once again even terrain and started thinking about possible outcomes for their sticky situation. "We could go on a quest and defeat him! Make the illusions stop, keep Bowser safe, go on an adventure!"

"Our parents would kill us." Gabriel reasoned.

"My parents are on the other side of the galaxy, and I'm pretty sure we both know well that I'm capable of defending myself, and you too."

"Only because you stole your mom's wand before she left."

"What she doesn't know won't kill her!" Celestia stomped her foot.

"I like your rebellious side."

"So do I."

"I like you."

"No you don't."

"Pfft, whatever." Gabriel raised an eyebrow to look at his friend's face, just to gather any kind of reasonable expression to go with her weird response to his statement, but it was too hard.

Gabe was never good at reading Celestia.

"We must venture off on a voyage. Find Bowser Junior, get the truth and apprehend him before he does something crazy." Celestia concluded. "You follow?"

"Yes ma'am." The prince followed her as she adamantly marched back to the castle and sat on the couch across from where Peach, Mario, Daisy, and Luigi were socializing.

"I have a business proposition for you." She simply stated to gather their attention.

"Have at it, Cece." Mario responded and folded his gloved hands over his lap.

"Gabriel and I should embark on a quest to get to the bottom of this letter and keep Bowser from more danger! We need to find Ashley to get the illusions to stop! There's so much we're capable of now and now that we know about it, we can make an effort to fix it!"

"This kind of stuff isn't something to play around with, kids. It's serious and dangerous and you two can't get involved acting as if it's another fun little supervised adventure." Peach scolded, subsequently rubbing on her growing stomach.

"She's right. We wouldn't want to risk you two getting hurt or worse..." Mario added, more scared than angry.

"Someone's got to do something, Father!" Gabriel rested a hand on Celestia's shoulder and joined the debate. "We can't just sit and do nothing. We're big kids now, there's nothing we can't handle."

"But you two don't understand the real struggles of real life problems. Peachy is right, there are evils in this world beyond the books and beyond the stories you're told. There are monsters and forces above nature and you can't risk getting hurt doing something you're not responsible for." Daisy added, also trying to gain understanding from the kids.

"Gabriel, you're only eighteen, and Celestia, you're barely about to be sixteen, and you both have tasks within the castle within your boundaries to handle, and we can't risk you both leaving us when we need you the most." Mario was once again being the sensitive one in the conversation.

While the two ladies were more concerned about their altruistic and sight-seeing instincts taking the best of them, the king was more compassionate and sensible of health and safety of the two teens who barely understood the world they lived in.

"But father-" Gabriel tried to interject but was interrupted by his mother.

"No buts, Gabriel. You may be big within the castle, but not outside of these walls. These are forces we can't have you dealing with. I barely dealt with half of them when I was twenty one, and you two need to think about what you're voluntarily getting yourselves into.

"When I was younger, I didn't want the hallucinations, I didn't want the baddies onto me like they were, I didn't want trouble, and you two are asking for it. Don't you have any idea how lucky you two are to be safe and sound within these walls without any issues or interference?"

"Honey, I think that's-"

"No, it's not." Peach interrupted her husband this time. "Don't act like what happened earlier today didn't happen, I saw it all from the park, with the ground and all chasing you both. We all saw it. Every time you decide to get involved, you get these problems again and you know it. Why would you do this to yourselves? Why would you do this to me?"

Peach began breaking down into a stance of dejection.

"I don't want to lose my baby boy like I lost my parents."

"Peachy, I think they get it..." Daisy rubbed the queen's back and began rising to escort her to bed. "Go get some sleep, I'll make sure the kids in the nursery are tucked in. As for you two," she turned to face Celestia and Gabriel, "think about her words, and think about what you're trying to get yourselves into."

Mario soon followed the girls to the hallway where the master suite was, and Luigi gave the kids a knowing grin before he walked off.

He was oddly silent.

"Well that was..." Before Celestia could get into her sentence, Gabriel had ran off to his room in despair. Celestia followed suit but the door was locked when she arrived. "Gabe, please, it's just me." She gently knocked, sort of knowing how to deal with the occasional tantrum-like attitude.

Gabriel rarely asked for much his whole life, Celestia would know first hand, and he was usually shut down for safety whenever it came to that. This time, however, was different. Of course, Celestia knew the whole story about the infinipipe and the prison attacks, but Gabriel might have been unaware the whole time...

Maybe that was it.

"Come on Gabe, we can at least talk about it. I'll have a toad make hot cocoa while we can watch the stars in my room?" She knocked again, hoping her soft tactics would persuade him.

Gross, her soft side. She better not show it much again. It's not her thing.

Alas, the door cracked open.

"I know you think my observatory is cool." She teased, pushing the door open the rest of the way.

"Heh, yeah."

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"So you're telling me that my grandparents look young because they were stuck in a time diluting pipe and frozen in time for how many years?"

"Six."

"Unbelievable. Why didn't they tell me this? Why didn't you?"

Celestia shrugged. "I thought it was common knowledge. I don't know about them though. They might just assume that you knew about the whole ordeal somehow. I have no idea how parents' minds work."

"And how'd you find out about all of this?"

"My dad told me everything while my mom was in space at some point."

Gabriel giggled. "She always is, isn't she?"

"Yeah, but I'm used to it. She was at least there for me when I was younger, and I think she sees me as more independent now to the point that she takes dad."

The boy stopped talking for a bit and looked up at the stars. The room was large and had a white reclinable couch in front of the full sized bed. When reclined properly, there was a perfect view of the stars and moon through the tall glass windows and roof.

"Hey, are you okay man?" Celestia turned over her body to look at Gabriel next to her.

After a brief pause, he responded. "Yeah, now that I'm here with you." He turned to face her and scooted closer to tuck a loose strand of hair behind her ear.

"O-okay." She gave a closed smile and turned back to face the stars.

Gabriel never knew why she was like this.

Shying away from social contact, playing hard to get, being oblivious to his feelings, was it a game to the star child or was was it just in her nature? Sure, they've met plenty of other teenagers in the city during class time and visitings, and she hasn't acted as comfortable around them as she did with him, so why did that all change when he was showing who he really was?

Showing her how he really felt?

During instructional time, she would participate in lectures and such, but never talked to other students. In the villages, she was awfully polite and nice to the townspeople, but it wasn't who she really was.

She was brave, heroic, courageous, beautiful, and so much more. There were plenty of maidens who would hit on him here and there, but his heart was always saved for his Celestia.

No, not his. Not yet.

What he didn't know, however, was her lack of knowledge on how to interact with feelings. She read a great deal, but not much in the fantasy or romantic genres. That wasn't her fancy, she preferred science fiction and mysteries. Love was too sappy and cliche.

But when her heart learned to love, she didn't know how to approach it, so she had been avoiding it ever since. How tragic, indeed; the reason she wouldn't love him back was because she loved him too much.

Alike to him, she thought it was a game - his game. She thought he acted that way towards all the girls, that flirtiness was in his nature, she didn't know it was only for her, that the compliments and remarks were genuinely made for her.

They do say love is blind for a reason.

They both thought that if they explicitly confessed, that the other would be disappointed, the other would reject them and they would lose the quintessential friendship they formed their whole lives, all because they wanted more out of it.

Now, it was a matter of who would confess first.

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**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hehehe, in the feels. We'll get more into it next chapter, and hopefully that will be out soon. I promise, this story isn't on hold, I just get slow and unmotivated too easily, but I'm working on fixing that! 
> 
> If y'all could guess who these kids are based off of, I'll give you a cookie.
> 
> Thank you for your patience, and I hope you'll enjoy what's next to come!


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Gabriel and Celestia can't get it together, and Peach is a lil bit of a shipping snake.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Little warning for harsh language, they're teens and all :p

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"Have you ever felt love?"

"That's for me to know and you to ponder."

"Aren't you going to ask me back?"

"Fine. Have you ever felt love, Gabriel?"

"Only for you, Celestia."

"Well I'm in love with you too." She grinned and pulled him close. They were standing in a moonlit forest surrounded with various greens and flowers, the faint sounds of crickets chirping a symphony to accompany their moment.

She wore a silky and flowing blue gown, and her head was adorned with a crown of crystals. Gabriel was wearing a white suit with a blue shirt and a purple and green tie, his head holding a silver crown band.

As they were leaning in, Gabriel felt a large pain on his scalp and snapped into the hazy darkness of reality.

Damn it, it was a dream and Celestia just hit his head with a pillow to snap him out of it. "Gabe, wake up!"

"Whaaaat?" He groaned and rubbed the spot on his head where the impact took place seconds before. Dang, she's got biceps.

"You're like still on my couch, you know that, right?"

"Sure, sure." He began to doze off again and enter his beloved paradise before getting hit on his back, wincing in pain.

"GABE!" Celestia was standing on the couch next to him now, holding her pillow as if it were a weapon. 

"Whaaaat?" He groaned, pinching himself to wake up. "What time is it?"

"Doesn't matter! Come with me." She grabbed his wrist and led him down a maze of hallways to the other sector of the castle. "Listen..." She cracked open the door, which was to Peach and Mario's master suite, and they began looking at their conversation through the door that was barely ajar.

"You don't get it, Luigi, no means no." Daisy snapped.

"At least consider it under controlled circumstances, it's not a completely terrible idea." Mario suggested.

"But who would go with him? We all have duties in this kingdom, including him." Peach lectured.

"Are they talking about... me?" Gabriel whispered to himself, earning a subtle glare from Celestia, signaling for him to shut up.

"Don't I get a say in this? I'm my own person after all." Luigi interjected angrily.

Peach sighed. "Consider how dangerous this whole ordeal is. We're facing magics and angers much worse than before, and they're already targeting this damned castle. The kids think they're the only ones experiencing those hallucination things but I think we all know the truth there."

Gabriel heard Celestia sharply intake a breath, and he stroked his hand through her long hair, as if to comfort her, sending a shiver down her spine.

"But it could make this whole thing stop!" The former plumber in green argued. "Not doing anything would exacerbate it, but going on a quest could be a necessary sacrifice to end it."

Daisy considered it for a moment before shaking her head. "What about the kids? What about Lotus? He's only three and a few months and while I'm gone, someone needs to care for him!"

Gabriel began to think they weren't considering him for this quest, but someone else instead. He and Celestia rarely took care of the kids; they were always busy with studies and castle duties. The only person who would usually stay behind was...

"Luigi, please, don't risk yourself. Not now." Peach said, sounding awfully familiar.

"Come on, honey. Consider it just like my old adventures, but this time, it's just him." Mario softly offered, holding her shoulder and smiling sweetly. "I need to stay with you in case the baby comes, you may be in labor sooner or later, and Daisy needs to be the honorary queen when it happens. The kids can stay, Luigi can go with some guards to find Bowser Jr."

"Fine." The queen simply stated. "We should get the letter from the kids, and leave early tomorrow so they don't find out, and say you're going to Sarasaland to retrieve some things from Daisy's parents. 

"Pack a bag tonight with Daisy, and if you're not back in a week, we will send more guard toads out to get you. Get warning fireworks from the safe room. Should you wish to turn and come back, we will all support the decision." Peach took a deep breath when she finished. "I'll pray this isn't a bad idea."

"Thank you, Peach. I won't let you down." Luigi stated with a determined tone.

"Now, if you all won't mind me, I'm going to go check if the kids are asleep and get that letter when they least expect it." Peach giggled and began walking, her heels clicking against the wooden floors.

"Gabe, let's dip!" Celestia grabbed his hand this time, intertwining fingers ever so swiftly, and began running. Both of them blushed at the gesture but kept focus until they crashed into a toad.

"Toadella!" Gabriel breathed heavily. "I need you to stall my mother, please!" He began running with Celestia again, and it didn't help that their rooms were on the other side of the castle. "Thanks!"

Toadella was an old, but sweet maid toad. She always understood the craziness the kids partook in, and also understood their meek sense rebellion against their parents time to time. Maybe she'd offer Peach some tea and lemonade when she passes by.

"Okay, Gabe." Celestia turned to him while they were running. "The letter should still be in your room, hide it somewhere and if your mom asks, say I have it somewhere. I'll just say its somewhere in one of my drawers."

"Right. She usually goes to my room first whenever saying goodnight, so come to my room once she leaves yours, but wait a bit until she leaves."

"Sounds good." They began slowing down and were now in the portion of the hallway between their rooms. Realizing their hands were still interlocked, the two teens blushed and looked into each other's eyes for a brief moment that felt like an hour.

Gabriel's eyes were a sky blue, light and hopeful. Celestia's were also blue, but they sparkled like the deep royal ceruleans of the ocean, dark and mysterious.

The boy tugged at her hand and pulled her close, losing his grasp to hug her instead. No words said and caught by surprise, Celestia hugged back and savored the warmth, nuzzling her head in the crook of his neck.

He began stroking her hair again with one of his hands and spoke, "Thank you."

"For what?" She spoke softly, nothing more than a whisper.

"Making me feel better. I felt terrible earlier." He whispered back.

"It's what I'm here for." She smiled and closed her eyes, pulling tighter.

"Cece?" He asked, using her nickname. Of course, she called him Gabe all the time, but Cece was rarely used by him, it was more so something the adults would use for her.

But him saying it, it was endearing.

"Yeah?"

"I lo-"

"Kids!" Peach yelped from down the hallway.

"Shit..." Gabriel muttered, letting her go and pulling away. Maybe he'd try confessing another time.

Celestia was also let down, but also somewhat relieved. She didn't even know why Gabriel even wanted to be close friends with her. She sometimes felt as if she were annoying, or that she was too awkward, or her hair smelled like cats, or she didn't sleep enough - and she should probably stop waking him up in the middle of the night because she can't go to sleep, or wake him early in the morning because she got up too early.

She was like her dad, with the insomnia and all.

"Remember the plan." He said quietly, then slipped into his room, and she did the same.

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The door to the adolescent prince's room opened and light seeped in as the Queen of the kingdom walked in quietly, only then realizing her son was asleep.

"Gabriel, honey?" She said, sitting at his bedside and rubbing her palm on his arm.

"Yeah?" He said, groggily, adjusting his position and stretching his legs - perfectly playing the part of a sleepy teen in the midst of his slumber.

"I'm sorry for what I said earlier, it was... harsh. But it was uncalled for, you're a smart kid, I didn't have to rub it in when you'd get the picture."

"It's-"

"No, I'm not done yet." Peach interrupted. "I just want what's best for you and Celestia, and if that means making sure you stay in the castle at any costs, then thats what I'll ensure, and I don't want to restrain your freedom, but I don't want to lose you. 

"I lost my parents when I was young, younger than you are, and it may be selfish, but I don't want to feel that pain again, and I don't want your father and friends to feel like I did, or anything for that matter.

"We're both close as a mother and son, and I appreciate that about our bond, and I appreciate you asked me about that whole thing, but I just want you to know why I'm saying no. It's because I love you, Gabriel." Peach smiled and caressed his hair and face.

"I love you too, mother."

The expectant mother rose from her first born's bed and rubbed her stomach carefully. "And Gabriel?"

"Yes, mother?"

"Where's the letter?" Ah, the question he was waiting for, the real reason why she was here. It was aggravating, really. Was she really here for him, for his forgiveness? Or was it all for the letter, what began the controversy in the first place?

"Celestia has it, somewhere in her room." All part of the plan.

"Alright, goodnight sweetheart." She gave off a warm smile and closed the door behind herself, heading to the room next to her son's - the room decorated with soft fairy lights across the white bed frame, the sheets taking a light blue hue and the roof clear with glass. 

It was well kept and picked up, aside from a couch at the foot of the damsel's bed having several blankets and pillows sloppily laid upon it, and a young lady upright against the head of the largely sized bed, legs and feet underneath.

"Hey, Cece." The queen entered, seeing Celestia somewhat awake, reading a mystery book she hadn't heard of. It reminded her of Rosalina.

"Good evening, Peach."

"No need to be formal, it's just me, and I just want to talk." She smiled and sat on the bed, like she did with Gabriel.

"If it's about earlier, then-"

"No, not that." Peach stated. That wasn't very much expected. "Do you have a thing for Gabriel?" The queen asked all of a sudden.

"Wait what?" Celestia took a double take, putting down her book with wide eyes.

"I don't know," Peach was giddy and smiled to the stars through the window. "You two look nice next to each other." 

"Well, uh..." Celestia started with no intentions to finish. Why now? This was so awkward, and not precedented. She had never talked to anyone about how she liked Gabriel. Her mother had been away for a few months, and when she moved into the castle was when she realized her feelings. There wasn't anyone she thought she could tell, so she just kept it to herself, but if Peach was offering.

"Actually, never mind, I shouldn't have asked, it's a little personal." Peach giggled like a child. Pregnancy hormones, Celestia thought.

"No, no, it's alright, but..." She hesitated. Was this even a smart decision? Peach wouldn't tell Gabriel, like how Daisy doesn't tell Mario some jokes and things, but what if she thought of her differently? Or tried changing things with her and Gabriel? And what if he found out and he didn't feel the same?

"I'm in love with him."

There it was, it was like words just crawling out of her mouth when she least expected it, catching her by surprise like a lot of the other things that happen around this darn castle.

"REALLY? OH MY GOODNESS!" She squealed in joy.

"Wait why are you so excited?"

"You two are perfect for each other! You're basically betrothed!" Peach rose up and clapped in happiness.

"Be-betrothed?" Celestia's voice was low and nervous, and the queen was practically dancing around her bedroom.

"Everybody talks about it! You two are going to have a wonderful wedding with lots of stars and flowers!" The queen was now chanting in a singsong voice.

"But how does he feel? I haven't said anything because I don't want him to think I'm weird, or ruin our friendly bond, or get embarrassed because he doesn't like me back! I don't know what to do, Peachy! My heart has been doing this weird twisted side track flippy floppy thing for give or take four months and it won't go away and when he comes really really close I freak out and ugghhhh!" She buried her flushed face in her hands, feeling the burning of her cheeks in her palms.

"Oh Celestia, sweet, innocent, Celestia."

"Hm?" She managed to peep out in utter embarrassment.

"Gabriel is in love with you too!"

And with that, she fainted.

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**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oof oof Celestia's basically fainting every night nowadays!


End file.
